[Buffy]

Originally Posted by tom

Another question:
Is there intelligent life on Earth?

Yes, but a lot of the life that thinks that its intelligent, isn't....

Cheers,
Buffy

[Buffy]

Originally Posted by paultrr

Probably would be something out there akin to say a certain Science Fiction spoof on ST with some race thinking we had all this great tech they could use.

Galaxy Quest is a fun movie...

Originally Posted by paultrr

If they actually watched everything as far as Pop culture goes I think they'd find us creatures of great imagination. ... They also might find us a threat of sorts. ...

Or be horrified by our lack of morals and feel that God gave them the right to exterminate evil in the Universe... You know, authors of an alien "Left Behind" series... One of the reasons I advocate SETI listening but not shouting...

Cheers,
Buffy

[paultrr]

Originally Posted by Buffy

Galaxy Quest is a fun movie...

Or be horrified by our lack of morals and feel that God gave them the right to exterminate evil in the Universe... You know, authors of an alien "Left Behind" series... One of the reasons I advocate SETI listening but not shouting...

Cheers,
Buffy

Actually we have shouted in a sort of way once back when SETI first started we sent out a message. Did an article at one time titled The Seti Wow Signal that mentioned that our one shot one time signal if ever intercepted would itself appear like the now famous Wow signal they once picked up. I too have caution on the whole SETI thing as I do about hopeful one day travel to other stars. Personally I think we ought to go in peace and carry a big stick at the same time. The harder question for Seti to answer is do Aliens want to be found or heard. My own little encounter with UFO's tells me they are way beyond us period and at the best while they care little about being seen by us really do not want to establish any type of first contact at all. That suggests at the best they are courious and perhaps fearful at the same time. Certainly not say the ST non-interference and don't be recognized approach. More a watch and keep an eye on type of approach.

By the way, this is just my own personal opinion about abductions, but, I have yet to see anything I'd call solid physical evidence there. So even given some of those UFO reports might be real I still see no evidence they care to directly contact us. Given how humans tend to act towards each other I think I rather understand that approach.

You're right about Galaxy Quest being fun. But it does beg the question how would other races view us given the variety there could be out there.

[Buffy]

Originally Posted by paultrr

Actually we have shouted in a sort of way once back when SETI first started we sent out a message.

I know. Scares the heck outta me. Lots of folks seem to be obsessed with this though, with articles saying things like "radio waves are innefficient ways to broadcast ourselves to the Universe: we should build huge laser beams and fire them off in to space."

Originally Posted by paultrr

Personally I think we ought to go in peace and carry a big stick at the same time....But it does beg the question how would other races view us given the variety there could be out there.

I worry most about the Vogons. I don't think we should broadcast loudly until we have both a very big stick and very effective earplugs to defend against their poetry...

Cheers!
Buffy

[Buffy]

Whoo! 158 views and only 14 votes: I want to remind everyone that this is a blind poll, so no one can see your vote! Is there really no one among our very diverse audience who doesn't think that there are lots of aliens out there?

Cheers,
Buffy

[C1ay]

Originally Posted by Buffy

Whoo! 158 views and only 14 votes: I want to remind everyone that this is a blind poll, so no one can see your vote! Is there really no one among our very diverse audience who doesn't think that there are lots of aliens out there?

Cheers,
Buffy

Well I'm one of the 10 in the "There's intelligent life in the universe but they've never visited Earth." group. It's amazing sometimes how many people view a poll and don't vote.

[Fishteacher73]

I was split...I believe that there is complex life out there, but cannot justify either claiming that it is or isn't intelligent. Intelligence seems unlikely, but not impossible.

[orbsycli]

when you consider how unfathomly gigantic our universe is........i think intelligence seems likely.

[Fishteacher73]

Life chugged along quite nicely before anything even remotely resembling intelligence arose (for that matter eukaryotic single cell organisms). If there were a planet that had the precise conditions as the Earth and events happened along the same timeline (meteor impacts, continental drift, etc.) then yes, inelligent life would evolve, but any altercation in the timeline develops a very different world, one that perhaps intelligence is not needed, and therefore not selected for.

[orbsycli]

i agree there are probably many worlds like that.